The present invention relates generally to strapping machines, and more particularly to a new and improved strapping machine which is particularly adapted for strapping either standard insulation products or duct wrap insulation materials, and wherein the different materials may also have differently sized dimensions.
Strapping machines for strapping various articles or loads are of course well known and conventionally comprise, for example, a horizontally disposed conveyor for infeeding and supporting articles to be strapped, pairs of opposed compressors for compressing the articles prior to the strapping of the same with suitable strapping materials, and strapping heads for applying the strapping materials to the compressed articles while the articles are maintained in their compressed state by means of the opposed pairs of compressors. While such conventional strapping machines have of course performed satisfactorily, such conventional machines have various operational limitations, and in addition, they are not readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, they are not readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different sized articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, and they are not readily capable of strapping different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped in accordance with different types of strapping modes.
For example, different materials exhibit different density parameters or characteristics, and therefore, in order to efficiently or compactly achieve the packaging or strapping of different types of articles, packages, or materials, a predeterminedly different amount of compression force is necessarily required to be impressed upon the different articles, packages, or materials, however, conventional strapping machines are not necessarily capable of achieving certain predetermined compression force levels as may be required.
In addition, when operatively packaging or strapping a multitude of different articles, packages, or materials, such articles, packages, or materials will of course be of various sizes, and more particularly, have variously different length dimensions. It is therefore important to effectively center the articles, packages, or materials, in a lengthwise manner, with respect to the strapping heads of the strapping machine such that the strapping members can in fact be placed or positioned around the articles, packages, or materials in a symmetrical manner with respect to the longitudinal center of the articles, packages, or materials in order to ensure that the articles, packages, or materials are properly or securely strapped or packaged. However, conventional strapping or packaging machines are not readily capable of longitudinally centering the articles, packages, or materials. More particularly, such longitudinal centering of the articles, packages, or materials are achieved by such conventional machines by elevating a package stop member in an inclined manner on a trial and error manner, however, as may be readily appreciated, this process is quite inefficient, time-consuming, and therefore not desirable from a production point of view.
Still further, when applying strapping members to the variously different articles, packages, or materials, it is sometimes desirable to achieve different compression levels to particular articles, packages, or materials in order to achieve different predetermined degrees of compactness for such articles, packages, or materials. Such different compression levels or degrees of compactness may then require, however, that the articles, packages, or materials be strapped or packaged in different modes or manners in order to ensure that the articles, packages, or materials remain securely and safely strapped or packaged. Conventionally available strapping or packaging machines, however, are not readily capable of achieving such different strapping or packaging modes such that when certain packages, articles, or materials are strapped or packaged to predetermined compression levels so as to achieve the desired predetermined degrees of compactness, the strapping members, and in effect, the articles, packages, or materials per se, experience or exhibit failure which is of course undesirable.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved strapping machine which is particularly adapted for use in connection with the strapping or packaging of insulation materials wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different sized articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, and wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of strapping different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped in accordance with different types of strapping modes.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved strapping machine.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved strapping machine which is particularly adapted for strapping or packaging various different types of insulation materials.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved strapping machine which is particularly adapted for strapping or packaging various different types of insulation materials and which is particularly adapted for overcoming the various aforenoted drawbacks or operative disadvantages characteristic of PRIOR ART insulation strapping machines.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved insulation strapping machine which is particularly adapted for strapping or packaging various different types of insulation materials wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of handling or applying strapping to different sized articles, packages, or materials to be strapped, and wherein such strapping machines would be readily capable of strapping different types of articles, packages, or materials to be strapped in accordance with different types of strapping modes.
The foregoing and other objectives are achieved in accordance with the teachings and principles of the present invention through the provision of a new and improved insulation strapping machine which comprises a vertically reciprocable platen and horizontally reciprocable opposed pairs of compressors which are able to have their relative positions adjustably controlled such that the platen and compressors cooperate together so as to form or define a variably sized package cavity within which the variously different or different sized articles, packages, or materials to be strapped can be disposed for properly achieving a strapping or packaging operation. A vertically movable package stop is incorporated within the package cavity conveyor system so as to predeterminedly longitudinally center articles, packages, or materials of various different length dimensions within the package cavity, and each one of the package compressors can develop 10,000 pounds of compressive force so as to achieve a predetermined amount of compression with respect to certain insulation materials. Still further, the articles, packages, or materials may be strapped or packaged in accordance with different strapping modes, depending upon, for example, the particular packages, articles, or materials being strapped or packaged as well as the compression levels impressed upon such packages, articles, or materials, whereby failure of the packaged or strapped articles, packages, or materials is effectively prevented.